PCB Probes 'Discipline and Conduct' After Dropping 7 Players — SkimNews
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- Pakistan Cricket Board launched an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning 'discipline and conduct' during the team's tour of England, saying it would not comment further at this stage.
- Pakistan sent seven players home and called up seven replacements after heavy defeats at Headingley and Lord's left them 2-0 down in the three-match series.
- Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant Umar Gul were replaced, with Mike Hesson and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke taking over for the third Test at Edgbaston starting September 9.
- Salman Ali Agha, who captained the first Test before being dropped for the second, Mohammad Rizwan, and Imam-ul-Haq were among the senior players sent home, with only two of the seven replacements — Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal — possessing Test experience.
- Noffke told reporters in Birmingham he was unaware of the probe's specifics, saying he 'sits outside of that decision-making model' above the coaching staff.
- Former captain Shahid Afridi called the sweeping changes 'the most shocking decision ever by a selection committee'.
Why it matters: The PCB's intervention — replacing the head coach, assistant, and seven players mid-series while opening a disciplinary probe — hands England a major advantage heading into the third Test and deepens the turmoil inside Pakistan cricket ahead of a busy international calendar.
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